x
I press my AirPod farther into my ear.
Thud. Thud.
I have always loved going for runs early in the morning. With the dew shining off the plants and the sun causing light shadows to fall across the trees.
Thud. Thud.
I close my eyes and breathe deeply, taking in the moment.
I open my eyes.
And my life changed.
There he was. Just standing there. He was over a foot taller than me. With long brown hair.
With one black wing and one white.
I shield my eyes from the light, squinting at his face.
"Are you an angel?" I gasp.
The winged man starts to laugh. He grabs onto a tree for support.
"Do I look like an angel to you?" he wipes tears from his eyes.
"Yes. You have wings." I don't know what to think.
"Do these look like angel wings?" he spreads them out so I can inspect them.
"Yes?" I was talking to an angel!
"Ouch. So insulting. Angels are overrated." He crosses his arms.
"If you aren't an angel, then who are you?" I ask him.
"I am Baron! I'm a cross between an angel and a demon."
"So you are half angel. I was right then." I can't believe what I am doing right now! I am talking to an angel like I see one every day!
"No," he lowers his voice and speaks slowly as if he is speaking to someone of lower intelligence. "I am a Dangel. We are an entirely different breed on our own."
"So what do you do?"
"Dangels grant wishes." He holds his arms out as if I should congratulate him.
"Oh! You are a genie! That makes sense."
"Ouch. So insulting. Genies are overrated."
"Wow. You have an issue with pride." I look up at him.
"I am a Dangel! You do not speak like that to me, you small human girl!" He jumps up and hovers in front of me.
"So you a wish granter." I coax him on.
"Yes. And, sadly, the leader of the Dangels has instructed me to give you a wish. Not two. Not three. One wish." He holds up one finger.
"And I can ask whatever I want?" I wonder.
"Yes. Unlike the genie, I have no rules on the wish."
"Then I wish for more wishes!" I jump up and down.
The Dangel drops back to the ground.
"Except for that. Anything but more wishes."
"Boring!" I yell at him.
"Humans are so overrated," he grumbles.
"Fine. I know what I'm going to ask for."
"Really? Normally humans take days to decide what they want. At this rate, we can be done by lunch. What would you like to wish for?" Baron rubs his hands together to prepare.
"I'll show you. This way!" I start to run back down the path.
"Ugh! Not 'I'll show you' again! This always takes weeks," he groans.
"Yeah. Weeks. Too bad we don't have someone with wings." I slow down to a walk.
"Point taken." He grabs my waist and starts to fly straight up.
"That way!" I point out the way.
-
He sets me down on the grass. I start to run up the steps into my house. I turn around once I don't hear Baron behind me.
Baron is standing in the middle of the lawn looking up at the house. His wings are tucked in tightly behind him.
"You live here?" he asks quietly.
"Yup. It doesn't seem so small once you get used to it. And it used to look better before..." I trail off.
He slowly looks down at me.
"Come on. I'll tell you what I want my wish to be."
He follows me into the house, ducking so he does not hit his head on the doorframe. I lead him to the far bedroom.
A cough echoes through the hallway.
"Hey mom." I step inside the room. "I'm back. You need anything?"
Of course she doesn't respond. She barely has enough energy to breathe.
"Ok. This is my wish. I want you to heal her."
"What?" Baron looks from my mom to me. "Don't you have those hospital things to help with sickness."
"We can't afford it. I've been trying the best I could, but trying to take care of her and work a job is just too hard."
"What about your dad?"
"He passes away last year. My mom is all I have left." I look up into the Dangel's eyes. "I can't loose her, Baron."
Baron is speechless. He watches my mom breath.
"But the wish is yours. Not hers."
"I know. She is all I want."
He nods and takes a step forward. He places a hand on her forehead.
"She'll wake up in an hour and just have a light headache." Baron quickly leaves the room.
I follow him outside. He is standing in the middle of the lawn looking at the grass.
"You gave up your wish for someone else," he whispers.
"Well, yeah. Thank you, Baron." I step forward and hug him.
"I will never forget you, little human girl." He places a small kiss on my forehead. "I now understand why you were chosen for the wish.
He spreads his wings out and jumps into the sky, disappearing toward the horizon.
Baron, the Dangel. With two wings. One black. One white.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
